2. 1.GET HANDS-ON MARKETING
EXPERIENCE
A degree in marketing or communications can take you a distance, but
most employers are looking for candidates with marketing experience,
whether that's from a previous job, internship or side project. If you
already have work experience in the marketing world, congratulations. For
the rest of you, internships or other projects will be key.
3. 2. KNOW THE LINGO
Being able to analyze marketing campaigns and understand what worked or didn’t is the
key role of a digital marketer — in order to do that, you'll need to know (and love) the
industry jargon.
"Understanding metrics on the web is key," says Naishi Zhang, assistant marketing
manager at Barnes & Noble. "The Internet provides so many ways of analyzing user
behavior, and knowing how to gather and interpret data is important for success. Read
widely and learn the lingo, so when someone asks about the CTR of a banner ad or the
number of page views a landing page received, you'll be ready."
Mastering marketing terminology and metrics, and knowing what they mean, will take
time and practice, but you can get a basic knowledge by picking up a marketing 101
textbook or attending an introductory course. Check out local college or continuing
education courses. If that isn't an option, the Internet is at your disposal. About.com's
glossary of marketing terms and HubSpot's glossary of social media marketing terms are
both very useful for beginners, and you should also read some of the top marketing
blogs to get your daily fill of information.
4. 3.NURTURE YOUR PERSONAL ONLINE
PRESENCE.
Rick Bakas, director of social media marketing at St. Supéry Vineyards and
Winery said he believes a person's online presence can be a major
deciding factor on whether an aspiring digital marketer makes the cut for a
job. "If an employer is deciding between two candidates," he notes, "they
might go with the person with the strong following online. Build your
personal brand online. You have to show you can build your personal
brand if you’re going to build someone else's."
Your personal brand is value-added in the job market.
5. 4. DABBLE IN EVERYTHING, SPECIALIZE
IN SOMETHING
There isn't just one career path in marketing. You can choose to work for an agency, with
an in-house team, or start your own firm. There are multiple marketing disciplines,
including affiliate, search, social media, e-mail, mobile, and display marketing, to name a
few. Teams come in all sizes — some in which teammates specialize in certain areas, and
others where a team can be composed of just one stellar know-it-all.
The best way to get a taste of all of the options is to dabble in a bit of everything. "Digital
marketing agency experience can be extremely valuable — at an agency you can be
exposed to all avenues of digital marketing from paid search, social media, mobile and
everything in between," Kuiphoff advises. "Most likely, you'll touch a number of different
accounts which can help you choose a vertical focus or specialty."
Once you have a base knowledge in each area of marketing, you'll be better equipped to
choose a more specific path of focus. Having a specialty enables you to hone your skills in
that area and become an expert, which is a valuable asset to potential employees
6. 5.ATTEND INDUSTRY MEETUPS AND
CONFERENCES
"Put the 'social' in social media and spend time engaging with people in
the real world," Bakas says. "Go to lots of events to create or nurture
quality interactions that can later continue online. Use plancast.com to see
which upcoming events are worth going to. These experiences are ripe
with opportunities to meet other digital marketers. The strongest
relationships are the ones nurtured online and offline."
Kuiphoff adds, "Digital marketing conferences not only provide a great
networking opportunity, but most offer in-depth workshops that can
enhance your skill set."
7. 6. KEEP A PULSE ON THE NEWS
Because of the nature of the Internet, digital marketing is ever-changing. If you don't
keep up with the latest trends and news, it shows in interviews and on the job. Sarah
Hofstetter, SVP of emerging media and client strategy at digital marketing agency 360i,
says it well:
"Remember that standing still is going backwards. Yes, it's an adage that has been used
for years to inspire ambition, but it is blatantly obvious in the digital landscape. Not only
does that technology evolve at a lightening pace that transcends Moore's law, but
consumer behavior is shifting at a radical pace, and media consumption becomes more
and more fragmented.
"Being on top of consumer behavior –- understanding what they’re doing online, what
motivates them and their social and mobile behavior –- and staying ahead of that by
learning what's in the market and what's on the come, will help ensure you don't get
stuck on the sidelines when interviewing for jobs in digital marketing."
Kuiphoff recommends subscribing to industry blogs and newsletters to stay on top of the
latest news. Some of my personal favorites include Ad Age, ClickZ, eMarketer, BrandWeek
and AdWeek.
8. 7. GET TECHNICAL
You won't be coding programs or building full websites as a digital marketer, but you will
need to work with developers and designers or other web specialists to communicate
your marketing design needs. A basic knowledge of how the web works, HTML, and one
or two programming languages, such as PHP, JavaScript, CSS and Ruby, will help you
understand the current boundaries and opportunities that will affect your marketing
campaigns.
"It's important for anyone working in the digital world, whether it's marketing or
designing features for a product, to have a basic understanding of coding," suggests
Dharmishta Rood, a research assistant at Harvard Business School and fellow at the
Center for Future Civic Media at MIT. "There are great experiential benefits from
understanding the underlying technologies that shape what we do online — it's easier to
understand how users can interact with content, what is possible for design with things
like CSS and JavaScript, and understand the nuances of basic technical terminology."
9. 8.LET CURIOSITY AND PASSION DRIVE
YOU
"Sure, it’s great to know about Facebook, iAds and whatever is coming next from Silicon
Valley," Hofstetter points out, "but when we’re looking for key talent at 360i, nothing
matters to us more than intellectual curiosity and passion...In a business where answers
and solutions aren’t always obvious, you need to be innately curious (about everything)
and obsessed with the 'why' behind the 'what.' "
It may sound cheesy at first, but she has a point. Without inquisitiveness and zeal, we're
just work drones on a mission to take over the Internet. Plus, these traits have a positive
effect on the way we work, Hofstetter says:
"People who have these qualities can innovate and identify trends from seemingly
ordinary data — they’re the first to try new things (platforms, tools, technology) and think
about how marketers can benefit from them. They don’t always have the answers, but
when you’re being asked to do never-been-done-before things, there isn’t a rulebook.
That’s why when we’re recruiting, we look for people who know how to ask the right
questions.
10. 9.UNPLUG FOR YOUR SANITY
Staring at a computer screen all day long can take a toll on your body,
mind and social life. Get away from that monitor and breathe for crying
out loud!
Bakas advocates getting out every once in a while to work on who you are
as a person outside of work. "Because transparency is important, it’s
important to be a good person in the real world," he says. "It’ll translate
into the digital world — you can’t fake being a good person if you’re a jerk
in real life. Unplug for your own sanity, but also to continue growing as a
person in life."
I second that. Now, get out of here and get a job.
